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Apple said today its much anticipated iPad device will be available in the U.S. on Saturday, April 3, for Wi-Fi models and in late April for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

All models of iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. in late April.

Beginning March 12, U.S. customers can pre-order both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi +3G models from Apple’s online store or reserve a Wi-Fi model to pick up on Saturday, April 3, at an Apple retail store.

"iPad is something completely new," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

"We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."

iPad will retail for $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April for $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB.
 

Update: According to reports, Apple has "quietly reinstated a shopping app from a beachwear retailer that sells bikinis."

Original Article: Apple has dominated tech headlines this week, as the company has created quite an uproar by unexpectedly removing over 5,000 apps from its App Store. The apps removed have been deemed "too sexy", but much of said uproar has been more about Apple’s definition of sexy, and its double standard. Apps containing women in bikinis and even workout clothes have been eliminated while apps from Playboy, FHM Magazine, and the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Issue have remained available, and even promoted on Apple’s App Store home page.

Do you agree with Apple’s decision to pull some "sexy" apps, while leaving others? Tell us what you think.

After much of the ruckus had been raised, Apple SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller talked to the New York Times, saying, "It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see." He also indicated that the difference with the Playboy, Sports Illustrated apps, etc. were that they were from well-known companies that were already available in "well-accepted" formats.

Obviously, the developers of such apps that have been pulled are not happy. It’s not hard to understand their beef, as many of them have likely put a significant amount of time and money into creating and maintaining their apps, only to have them yanked without warning (other than the emails they got from Apple as they were being pulled). Apple’s reasoning for allowing the well-knowns only adds fuel to their fire.

Apple reviews apps on a case-by-case basis. "Whenever we receive customer complaints about objectionable content we review them," Apple has said. "If we find these apps contain inappropriate material we remove them and request the developer make any necessary changes in order to be distributed by Apple."

Some have raised the question: why is Apple suddenly going "puritanical" (one of the apps was removed because of a cartoon character in a bikini)? They have blocked apps in the past, but just to yank so many that have already been accepted into the store seems like a sudden change in attitude. Is it coincidence that the company is readying the release of its much-publicized iPad device, which will run apps from the app store?

Many think these two things are strongly connected, and some even consider Apple’s choice to pull "sexy" apps to be a "smart business decision." For example, PC World’s Jeff Bertolucci writes:

As for the iPad, it’s clear that Apple will position its new tablet not only as a consumer device for the home, but also as an educational tool. Software developers are already designing interactive textbooks for the iPad, according to reports. Again, Apple must squash the impression that the App Store is a haven for smut to increase the odds of classroom sales. A few negative news stories about wobbly-boob apps could very well spur many school districts to think twice about adding the iPad as a study tool.

Bottom line: The porn purge is a smart business move on Apple’s part, even if it appears prudish to outsiders.

Beyond the classroom, Apple may be worried families will be less likely to purchase the iPad as well. The company’s comments regarding complaints from parents seems to suggest this very notion.

Not all complaints have come from concerned parents though. Even some developers have complained about apps such as those which have been removed. "Developers have been making similar complaints to Apple, but their concerns are also related to the volume of sexually-themed apps, which can represent as many as a third of the apps in certain iTunes App Store categories," says InformationWeek’s Thomas Claburn. "The spam-scale proliferation of these apps ends up making other apps less discoverable."

Others have pointed out, however, that there is plenty of R-rated content available through iTunes in the form of both movies and music, and Apple is keeping that stuff around, although that likely goes back to the same point Apple made about "well-known" and "accepted" sources. Many have also pointed out that users can always go to the web browser on their device and access all kinds of "nasty" stuff, but Apple doesn’t own the web, so unless Apple wants to start censoring the Internet, it is going to have a hard time keeping "sexiness" off its devices, even from lesser known sources. Apple can’t control that though, but it can control its own App store, and it is doing so.

Meanwhile, Google’s Android Market is growing significantly, and is currently in second place behind Apple’s App store in mobile application stores. Google has a significantly greater percentage of free apps as well, which could continue to fuel its growth. Perhaps another question is: can Apple afford to yank so many apps at a time when its competition is becoming greater than ever in the mobile space? Apple’s controlling "Puritanism" could come back to haunt it, despite its apparent motives. Evidently, that’s a chance the company is willing to take.

Do you think Apple is making the right decision by pulling all of these apps? Will Google benefit? Share your thoughts here.

State Farm has introduced a new free iPhone and iPod touch application aimed at helping young drivers stay safe on the road.

The "Steer Clear" application is part of State Farm’s safe drivers discount program. The app gives young drivers a way to complete the Steer Clear discount program and encourages supervised driver education.

State Farm says its Steer Clear program aligns with the principles of Graduated Driver Licensing laws aimed at reducing teen car crashes by lengthening the time teens must drive while supervised and requiring practice in a number of driving conditions.

The app allows parents and teen drivers to take advantage of State Farm’s Steer Clear car insurance discount, which requires teens under the age of 19 to complete 20 guided trips behind the wheel. The Steer Clear app provides a trip timer to log suggested outings and it will track practice time while the mobile device is turned off.

"Parents have told us they need more information about guiding their teen through the learning to drive process," said Laurette Stiles, Vice President, Strategic Resources at State Farm.

"This new application provides trip suggestions, goals and pointers for assessing driving skills. By providing this tool State Farm hopes to support supervised practice and improve teens’ skills for independent driving."

The Steer Clear iPhone and iPod touch application also includes driving tips, a safe driving pledge and informational videos. If the program is successfully completed participants can receive up to a 15 percent discount on car insurance.

As smartphone usage becomes more and more mainstream, businesses have to consider how their audiences are interacting with them online. For that reason, it can help to gain insight into how users of different devices interact with those devices.

AdMob released its monthly Mobile Metrics report today, which finds that Android and iPhone users download a similar number of apps every month and spend a similar amount of time using the apps. However, while Only 21% of Android users purchase at least 1 paid app per month, 50% of iPhone users do, 35% of iPod touch users, and 24% of webOS users. In other words, if you want to reach Android users through an app, you may have better luck if that app is free.

According to the report, iPod touch users download an average of 12 apps a month, 37% more apps than iPhone and Android users. iPod touch users also spent 100 minutes a day using apps, 25% more time than iPhone and Android users.

73% of Android users are male, compared to 58% of webOS users, 57% of iPhone users and 54% iPod touch users. The iPhone, iPod touch and webOS have similar gender distributions, with just over half of the users on all devices being male.

In addition, iPod touch users skew considerably younger relative to other platforms and devices, according to AdMob. Based on the company’s survey, 78% of iPod touch users are below the age of 25, compared to 25% of iPhone users and 24% of Android and webOS users.

The iPad will be out before long, and that means users will have access to apps that iPhone users and iPod Touch users do. 16% of iPhone users said they intend to purchase an iPad, compared to 11% of webOS users and only 6% of Android users. Of course, Google is working on its own new devices that would more directly compete with the iPad.

AdMob finds that 91% of iPhone users and 88% of iPod touch users would recommend their device, compared to 84% of Android users and 69% of webOS users. webOS users are 3.4x more likely to not recommend their device relative to iPhone OS users.
 
Which platform do you use? Would you recommend it? Tell us.

Rumor has it that Google is eyeing Beverly Hills-based CatchMedia as another possibility in a string of acquisitions. CatchMedia is a company that is focused on creating a "Play Anywhere" system, which lets consumers use their music/media content collection and services wherever they want, regardless of the device they’re using.

The rumor comes at a time when there is also much discussion about Apple possibly offering a cloud-based version of iTunes. Google could be looking at CatchMedia for efforts that would compete with this. Neither Google nor CatchMedia are offering comment on the situation, other than Google simply saying they don’t comment on rumors or speculation.

But there is plenty of speculation, and it mostly deals with Google finding yet another way to compete with Apple, another topic that is being heavily discussed lately. Most recently, Google’s acquisition of the reMail app has thrown some more wood on the fire, as it has taken away the app from Apple’s App Store.

An iTunes competitor would be a much bigger deal, but again we’re only in the rumors/speculation phase at this point. Still, CNET points out that in December Google reportedly tried to buy Lala, but was beaten by Apple. Suffice it to say, multiple signs point to Google looking to get deeper into music/media, and the company already has its own payment platform in Google Checkout. Google also has some tremendous opportunities to promote music and media purchases too with sites like YouTube and Google Product Search.

CatchMedia Founder Yaacov Ben-Yaacov has experience with selling start-ups to large corporations, having co-founded PictureVision, which was eventually bought by Kodak.

Google said today it views its relationship with Apple as valuable and does not see any reason for that to change, even with the rumors Microsoft’s Bing may replace Google search on the iPhone.

"Apple is a very close and valuable partner and we’re very excited about the relationship we have with them today. We have no reason to believe that’s going to change," said Vic Gundortra, Vice President, Engineering, Google, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

"We don’t want to comment on those rumors," he told Reuters when pressed on the issue of the iPhone at a roundtable. "We think that relationship is stable."

When asked about the Nexus Two, a second Google-branded phone targeted at business users the company is expected to introduce, Gundotra said no decisions had been finalized about how many Google phones there would be or who would make them.

Google and HTC released the co-branded Nexus One last month, the first time Google has used its name for a consumer hardware product.

"We just haven’t made those decisions yet," Gundotra said when asked if HTC would also make the Nexus Two. "We decided to take the flagship phones, the best phones that were available, and those would have Google branding."
 

Apple is holding a contest on iTunes called "Countdown to 10 Billion Song Downloads."

The user who downloads the 10 billionth song from iTunes will receive a $10,000 gift card from Apple.

"iTunes changed the way you buy music, making songs and albums available for download, day or night," Apple said.

"Seven years later, we’re about to celebrate our biggest milestone for music, yet – 10 billion songs downloaded. Buy a song, and if it’s the 10 billionth download, you could win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card. It’s our way of saying thanks."

Users will be automatically entered in the contest by downloading a song from iTunes Store or they have an option to enter the contest for free by filling out an online form.  Apple says the promotion is limited to 25 entries per day, per user.
 

UPDATE: The Apple store is finally back online and it looks like the only thing added was the recently announced photography software package, Aperture 3.

To say people aren’t pleased with Apple would be an understatment… as many were hoping for the new Core i5 and i7 MacBooks.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Sometimes when the Apple store goes down it’s nothing, while other times new products are added once the store finally comes back online. One good sign that it could be a new product is that the Apple Store is down globally.

What do you think Apple will unveil when the store comes back? Tell us.

We’re not sure what to expect once the store does come back… but this hasn’t stopped Twitter users from speculating on what is to come. It appears that most Twitterers are hoping for a new MacBook Pro while others think that the iPad will be added to the store. No one really knows what is coming, well I guess it’s safe to say that a "Fail Whale" might be coming once the Apple Store comes back online.

At this time, all we can do is speculate on what Apple is currently doing. In any case, be sure to check back later as we’ll update this article on the Apple Store additions.

On January 27th Steve Jobs unveiled Apples latest “it” product, the iPad. Essentially the iPad “fills the gap” in between smartphones and laptops. One question remains to be answered, is there a need for a device to bridge the gap in between the two technologies? We’re not sure yet, but there is one thing we know, the iPad has some issues… below are 5 of the most glaring.

Are you planning on purchasing an iPad? Let us know.

1.) The Name
Numerous names were being thrown around in the months/weeks leading up to the release (iTablet, iSlate, iPad) but which name was Apple going to choose? I had grown accustomed to referring to the device as the iTablet, I could even see calling it the iSlate… but iPad never seemed quite right. Why would Apple want to name their new product something that sounds so familiar to the iPod? Some people are objecting to the name referring to it as the “iTampon”.

Talk about foresight, this Mad TV iPad skit aired several years ago… and easily became 10x funnier. 

2.) No Multitasking
Are you serious… who thought this was a good idea? How can the iPad even compete with Netbooks if you can’t multitask? This means that if you’re writing a document you can’t listen to music, you can’t have TweetDeck open if you want to check your email, you can only do one thing at a time, which has always been a complaint with the iPhone.

3.) No Camera
Why is there no camera on the iPad, front or back? It’s got a microphone… but no camera. Look at the size of the case that surrounds the screen, there is ample space for a camera. The iPad should’ve at least come with a 3-megapixel camera built in. As it stands, this means no iChat/Skype chat for you. Good move Apple, good move.

4.) Huge Ridiculous Adapters
Want to access your camera or plug in something USB… well there’s an adapter for that, actually 2 separate adapters both excessively huge.

5.) Same Touch Keyboard
The iPad needed to re-revolutionize the keypad for touchscreen devices, make it easier to use. So what did we get… just a larger version of what we already had. It’ll be incredibly hard to type on, unless you’re lying flat with your knees holding the device up, or you buy the iPad Case (essentially a book cover).

BONUS: No Flash (We just couldn’t stop at 5)
Most of us are probably accustomed to Apple devices not being Flash compatible, but if Apple is truly wanting to compete with other Netbooks they need to remedy this. With a larger screen comes more responsibilities, i.e. you can’t just leave gigantic holes in the middle of webpages if you claim it to be "the best web experience you’ve ever had".

The iPad is still in its infancy, so we’re sure that it’ll get better with time. Only time will tell if Apple’s iPad will be a success or an iFlop.

What are some other problems you see with the iPad? Leave us a comment.

Two important tech corporations that used to be friends may now officially be at war.  Although an exact quote’s proven difficult to come by, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been quoted as saying that Google’s an aggressor, and even implying that the company is in the habit of doing evil things.

An Apple employee apparently talked to John C. Abell after attending a large corporate meeting led by Jobs.  Abell then relayed the gist of a little outburst that occurred when Google’s name was mentioned.

"We did not enter the search business, Jobs said.  They entered the phone business.  Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone.  We won’t let them, he says.  Someone else asks something on a different topic, but there’s no getting Jobs off this rant.  I want to go back to that other question first and say one more thing, he says.  This don’t be evil mantra: ‘It’s bullshit.’"

Or maybe the mantra is "a load of crap," according to Jobs – John Gruber heard that slightly different version of events.  Either way, though, it sounds like Apple’s CEO is very upset with Google. 

It should be interesting to see if the two companies go out of their way to frustrate each other – maybe Apple could give search a shot, after all? – as a result.

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